This invention relates to a holder which holds a flat circuit member, and is fitted into a connector housing or the like so as to electrically connect conductors of the flat circuit member to metal terminals.
various electronic equipments are mounted on a vehicle (moving body). Wire harnesses for supplying electric power from a power source to these electronic equipments and for feeding control signals and the like to the electronic equipments are installed on the automobile. The wire harness comprises a plurality of wires, and connectors mounted on ends of the wires.
The wire harness comprises a bundle of wires, and therefore the weight of the wire harness has increased with the increase of the number of wires. Therefore, in recent years, it has been proposed to use a flat circuit member, such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC) an a flexible flat cable (FFC), instead of wires. The flat circuit member comprises conductors, and a pair of insulating sheets covering the conductors and is formed into a flattened shape.
In a wire harness employing the flat circuit member, it has been proposed to use a holder 100 (shown in FIG. 13) and a holder case 101 (shown in FIG. 13) (disclosed, for example, in JP-A-4-322087) in order to connect this flat circuit member to metal terminals of a connector.
The holder 100, shown in FIG. 13, includes a plate-like holder body 102, a plurality of projections 103, and engagement claws 104 for fixing the holder to the holder cave 101. The projections 103 project from one side (or surface) of the holder body 102. The projections 103 are arranged on an edge portion of the holder body 102. The engagement claws 104 are provided at opposite ends of the holder body 102, respectively. The holder case 101 is formed into a frame-like shape. The holder case 101 has engagement reception portions 105 with which the engagement claws 104 are engageable, respectively. A plurality of holes 107 are formed through an end portion of the flat circuit member 106 which is to be held by the holder 100, and the projections 103 can pass through these holes 107, respectively.
The flat circuit member 106 is wound around the holder body 102, and the projections 103 are passed through the holes 107, respectively, and in this manner, the flat circuit member 106 is held by the holder 100. The holder body 102 is passed through the holder case 101, and the engagement claws 104 are engaged with the engagement reception portions 105, respectively. In this manner, the flat circuit member 106, the holder 100 and the holder case 101 are fixed to one another. The holder 100 and the holder case 101, thus combined together, are connected to a connector housing of the connector, thereby electrically connecting conductors 108 of the flat circuit member 106 to the metal terminals, respectively.
One of the pair of insulating sheets is removed from that portion of the flat circuit member 106 (for installation on the automobile or the like) which is to be electrically connected to the metal terminals, so that the conductors 108 are exposed at this portion. The flat circuit member 106 is electrically connected to various electronic equipments, and therefore in some cases, one of the pair of insulating sheets is removed, and in other cases, the other insulating sheet is removed.
In the conventional holder 100 of the above construction, the projections 103 projects from the one surface of the holder body 102. Therefore, in the case where the holder can hold the flat circuit member from which one of the pair of insulating sheets is removed to thereby expose the conductors 108, the holder can not hold the flat circuit member, from which the other insulating sheet is removed, unless the conductors 100 are held between the one insulating sheet and the holder body 102. Therefore, in the case where the conventional holder 100 can electrically connect the conductors 108 of the flat circuit member 106, from which one insulating sheet is removed, to respective conductors such as metal terminals, this holder can not electrically connect the conductors 108 of the flat circuit member 106, from which the other insulating sheet is removed, to the respective metal terminals.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a holder which can positively electrically connect conductors of a flat circuit member, from which either of a pair of insulating sheets is removed, to other conductors such as metal terminals.
(1) A holder comprising:
a flat circuit member including a plurality of conductors and a pair of insulating sheets covering the plurality of conductors, wherein one of the pair of insulating sheets is removed from an end portion of the flat circuit member so that the plurality of conductors are exposed at the end portion;
a hole formed through the end portion;
a holder body, around which the flat circuit member can be wound, defining first and second surfaces; and
a pair of projections projecting from the first and second surfaces of the holder body, respectively,
wherein the end portion of the flat circuit body is wound around the holder body, and one of the pair of projections is retained in the hole so as to hold the flat circuit member.
(2) The holder according to (1), wherein a pair of gripping portions for respectively gripping opposite side end portions of the flat circuit member are formed on each of the first and second surfaces of the holder body, respectively.
(3) The holder according to (1), wherein
the holder body has a plate-like shape, and has opposite surfaces defining the first and second surfaces, respectively, and
the end portion of the flat circuit member is laid on the first surface, and the projection projecting from the first surface is retained in the hole, and the end portion is folded to be laid on the second surface so that the end portion is wound around the holder body; and
(4) The holder according to (3), wherein a tapering surface is formed at an end portion of the projection close to a folded portion of the flat circuit member wound around the holder body.
(5) The holder according to (4), wherein the tapering surface is inclined in a direction perpendicular to the first and second surfaces, and is slanting in a direction away from the folded portion as the distance of the tapering surface from the holder body increases.
(6) The holder according to (2), wherein the gripping portion includes a projected port on projecting from each of the first and second surfaces, and a gripping wall which extends from the projected portion in adirection away from the holder body and extends parallel to the projected portion in overlying relation to the projected portion, so that the side end portions of the flat circuit member can be held between the projected portion and the gripping wall.
(7) The holder according to (6), wherein an end surface of the projection spaced from the holder body and a surface of the projected portions spaced from the holder body are in a same plane.
(8) The holder according to (1), wherein the holder body includes a retaining portion and a retaining reception portion which is engageable with the corresponding retaining portion, and a plurality of the holder bodies are stacked together in such a manner that the retaining portion and the retaining reception portion of each of the plurality of the holder bodies are engaged with the retaining reception portion and the retaining portion of the adjacent holder body, respectively.
In the holder of the invention, the projections project respectively from the one surface and the other surface of the holder body. The flat circuit member can be mounted on the holder body, with one of the projections passed through the hole. Thus, either of the projections is passed through the hole, thereby holding the flat circuit member. Therefore, in the case where either of the first and second insulating sheets is removed to thereby expose the conductors, the flat circuit member can be held by the holder, with the conductors exposed to the outside.
In the holder of the invention, there are provided the gripping portions for respectively gripping the opposite side edge portions of the flat circuit member. Therefore, the flat circuit member, attached to the holder body, with the projection passing through the hole, is prevented from being disengaged from the holder body.
In the holder of the invention, as the distance of the tapering surface from the holder body increases, the tapering surface in slanting gradually in the direction away from the folded portion. Therefore a fold or the like is prevented from being formed at the flat circuit member, attached to the holder, by contact of the projection with the flat circuit member.
In the holder or the invention, the end surface of the projection and the second end surfaces of the projected portions are even with each other. Therefore, the flat circuit member, attached to the holder, is prevented from being curved in the direction of the width thereof. Therefore, a fold or the like is prevented from being formed at the flat circuit member by contact of the projection with the flat circuit member. And besides, the flat circuit member, attached to the holder, is prevented from being curved in the direction of the width thereof, and therefore the opposite side edge portions of the flat circuit member are prevented from being disengaged respectively from the gripping portions. Therefore, the flat circuit member is prevented from being disengaged from the holder body. That the end surface and the second end surfaces are even with each other means that the height of the end surface from the surface of the holder body is equal to (or generally equal to) the height of the second end surfaces from this surface. That the end surface and the second end surfaces are even with each other also means that these end surfaces are disposed on a common plane (or generally common plane).
In the holder of the invention, the plurality of holders can be stacked together in such a manner that each retaining portion is retainingly engaged with the corresponding retaining reception portion. Therefore, the flat circuit members are attached to the holders, respectively, and thereafter the plurality of holders are combined together, and then can be mounted at a time in a connector housing or the like.